Wellness Report

Stress

Do you feel stressed?

How often do you check in with your mental health?

Life for kids isn’t easy. The world is way more complex than it was even twenty years ago and kids can be under a lot of pressure in school, at home, and with friends. 

Stress can be good and bad. Good stress can help our bodies stay alert and motivated, ready to respond to threats and challenges. Bad stress is what happens when those threats and challenges don’t go away and our body stays in that “fight or flight” mode too long.

Stress is the feeling you get when you’re a little scared. Hundreds of years ago, that fear was for things like bears. These days, it’s for homework, extracurricular activities, worrying about your family and friends, and trying to be the best all the time.

How stressed out are Kelowna youth?

In Kelowna, stress levels are a concern. 

Among elementary school kids, only 48% of boys and 54% of girls rated their stress low. In elementary school boys, 52% rated their stress as moderate and 2% rate their stress levels high.  In elementary school girls, 46% report moderate stress.  

Stress levels and related symptoms become a bigger concern in middle school girls. Only 35% of girls in middle school rated their stress low, with 53% rating stress moderate and 12% rating stress levels high.  

In middle school boys, 50% rated stress as low, 48% rate stress moderate and 2% had high levels of stress.

How do the stress levels compare to the rest of Canada?

Young Canadians are suffering from rising levels of anxiety, stress, depression and even suicide. Close to 20% – or one in five – have a mental health issue. A lot of this is thought to start with elevated levels of stress. 14% of Canadian aged 12-17 say they feel at least a bit stressed and 1-in-3 have symptoms linked to mental distress such as headaches or stomach aches.

Advice

What can you do to lower your stress levels?

Take care of your body

Regularly exercising, eating healthy, and getting enough restful sleep can help reduce the physical impact of stress and help us to cope better. Taking care of your physical health can improve your mood and stabilize hormone levels, making it easier to manage stress.

Make schoolwork manageable

Break your work down into smaller pieces, stay organized, and make to-do lists. These tactics can help you better prioritize your time and help you feel less overwhelmed by the things you have to do.

Take time for yourself

Give yourself time to enjoy your favourite hobbies and use creative outlets to express yourself. Even just taking a few minutes to do some breathing or relaxation exercises can help to keep stress from getting too high or release some of our negative feelings caused by stress

Seek support

Talk about your stress and feelings with supportive friends and family members, a guidance counsellor, a teacher, or someone else that you trust. Sharing your worries can help make the tasks feel more manageable and allow you to get help when you need it.